


Hopeful Refrain

by 0bviousLeigh



Series: We Write the Stories We Think We Deserve [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-06 15:42:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6759934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pop star Yuki Judai faints during a live performance and takes a break from showbiz to attend Kaiba Academy. There he ends up joining Sho, Johan, and Asuka, in a garage band with no prospects, to put some pep in the pep rally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aitakatta! I Want to Meet You!

**Author's Note:**

> Why yes, I did title this story after an AKB48 song. I love the song, it seems to encompass Judai perfectly. Plus it seemed like the best song for a band performance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sho returns to Kaiba Academy after a dismal summer and meets his new roommate; Judai just wants to fit in; and Johan and Asuka need a new member for their band or they'll be forced to join student council. All these stories converge to form one perfect group of friends!

Sho barely passed the final exam in his first year at Kaiba Academy. He studied his ass off, he knew his stuff, but he had horrible test anxiety. He wasn’t surprised when he got a low rank, and he just hopes his new roommate won’t be the kind of person to take advantage of his already low mood on the first day back at school. Sho drags his suitcase to the Red dorm, furthest from the school, and he’s already dreading how early he’ll have to wake up to get to the main campus. He thinks half the reason he did so poorly in his first year was the amount of time his walk to school took out of his sleep schedule. Well, he has a corner room this year, so at least if he has loud neighbors it will only be on one side. Sho’s roommate from last year has transferred out, so he’s been told he’s getting a new one.

Second floor, furthest to the right. He opens the door and there’s already a pair of shoes in the storage rack, and Sho gulps. “Um hello?” He calls, “I’m Marufuji Sho.”

His roommate is lying on the bottom bunk, and he sits up and grins at Sho. “Nice to meet you, Sho! I’m Judai.”

Sho drops his suitcase, and gapes. “J-Judai…Yuki Judai?!”

Judai grins. “Oh, you know me?” He stands up and offers his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Sho takes his hand and shakes it. His roommate is one of the most famous pop stars in Japan! Sho totally did not see this coming! “You…I didn’t know you would be...I didn’t hear about you taking the entrance exam.” He wishes he could stop stammering.

Judai looks sheepish. “Yeah…I didn’t go. I took the test privately, thought the publicity would make things hard for the other students. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to come here.” He shrugs and flops back on the bed. “But you know, recent events and all that.”

Sho, still reeling from the fact that Yuki freaking Judai is standing in front of him, asks, “What recent events?”

Judai sits bolt upright. “What? Wait, didn’t you see it?”

“See what?” Sho asks.

Judai looks confused. “Are you…do you…like, follow me?”

Sho blushes. He was so upset about his test scores, he wasn’t sure if he would return to the academy. He didn’t do his summer homework until the end of break. “Not lately…last minute homework and all that.”

“I don’t mean to sound stuck-up,” Judai says quickly, “It’s just…it’s all over the news, too.”

“I locked myself in my room for a few weeks,” Sho admits.

Judai relaxes. “Sorry, I just thought everyone knew, I was surprised. I was performing at this festival two weeks ago and I passed out on stage. You really didn’t know?”

Sho had no idea. “Man, I’m the last to know everything!”

Judai grins. “Dude, it was gnarly! You should see…” he pulls out his phone.

“You don’t have to show me, if you don’t want to!” Sho says quickly.

“Nah dude, I’ve watched it like fifty times,” Judai says. He passes his phone to Sho, and Sho takes a seat at the desk on the opposite side of the bunk beds to watch the video playing. Judai’s onstage, dancing to his hit “Gotcha” (which Sho does not sing in the shower), when he suddenly sways to the side. He presses his free hand to his head, and his backup dancers give him alarmed looks, but Judai continues to sing into his mic, and then a few seconds later his arms fall, his knees buckle, and he crashes down on the stage. A backup dancer just manages to keep his head from hitting the floor, and a member of the stage crew helps carry Judai off the stage.

Stunned, Sho gives Judai his phone back. “I had no idea that happened,” he says, feeling almost guilty for it. “Are you okay?”

Judai nods. “Yeah, bro, I’m good now. But basically I had a burnout. My body said ‘enough is enough,’ and the doctors told my company that if I didn’t get some rest they’d call child welfare.” Then he glares at Sho. “Don’t tell anyone that.”

“I won’t,” Sho says quickly.

Judai grins. “Yeah, and the head of my official fan site went rogue and sent an open letter to my company threatening to boycott all the company’s artists until they were promised I was getting a vacation. So that’s when I told them that I took the test for Kaiba academy, and here I am!”

Sho’s head is spinning with all this info. “I’m really glad you’re telling me all of this, but…do you normally trust people you just met this much?”

Judai pauses for a few seconds, a thoughtful look on his face. “No, but we’re roomies, so we’ve got to have each other’s backs. Besides, you seemed really down when you came in. What’s bugging you?”

Sho’s problems feel insignificant compared to Judai’s—he was worked to exhaustion and collapsed in front of millions of people watching his every move—but he wants to honor Judai’s honest with some of his own. “I didn’t get great grades on my final exam last year. My big brother graduated from here, top of his class. I’m kinda the family disappointment.”

Judai’s face is one of pure shock. “What?! No, that’s—did your family say that to you?!”

“No,” Sho says, “But…I mean they don’t have to.”

Judai looks angry. “You’re not a disappointment, anyone who says otherwise can suck it. And so what if your grades weren’t great? You can improve, you can always improve! The fact that you made it is proof of that!”

Sho is touched. “Thanks, that’s really nice of you to say. But Judai, how come you’re in the red dorm? I heard you’re…um, the kind who should be in blue.”

Judai looks confused, then he grins. “I asked to be here. It only seems fair, since I’m a second-year transfer. And I heard this was the smallest dorm, and a smaller dorm means less people being in my face. Plus I look terrible in that bright blue, red is _so_ my color. It looks good on you, too, by the way.”

“You’re not going to go changing your tune when the cool kids come calling, are you?” Sho asks, only half joking.

Judai shakes his head. “No way, we’re the cool kids now, you and me!” He holds out his fist. “Pound it, buddy!”

Sho laughs and taps his fist against Judai’s. He thinks his day is starting to look a lot brighter. Judai seems like a really nice guy, and Sho thinks maybe they’ll be friends.

“By the way,” Judai says, interrupting Sho’s thoughts, “I told all the professors to call me Jaden. Not sure it’ll make the kids think of me as anything but a celebrity, but I thought it was worth a shot.”

Sho grins and stands up. “Well then, it’s nice to meet you, Jaden.” He holds out his hand.

Jaden stands too and shakes Sho’s hand. “Nice to meet you too, roomie!”

 

 

Johan’s head snaps up when his door opens, and he relaxes when he sees that it’s just Asuka. “For pity’s sake, don’t you knock?”

“Not for you,” Asuka scoffs, flopping down on Johan’s sofa. “Not at 1 PM on welcome day, what could you possibly have been doing?”

She has a point. Johan stands in front of the sofa with his arms folded. “Having said that, what do you want from me at 1 PM on welcome day?”

Asuka sighs and rubs her forehead. “Cronos-sensei called me in to remind me that all clubs must have a minimum of three members, and he’s giving us one week to get someone else to join.”

Johan growls. “One week?! The club fair isn’t until the end of this month! Why can’t we have ‘til then?”

“You know why,” Asuka says, “Because Cronos-sensei is determined to get both of us on the student counsel any way he can. He told me flat out that if we don’t find another member, he’s invoking a little known rule that allows a professor to appoint students to the counsel if not enough seats are full, and if said student doesn’t have club membership.”

“So he’ll force us?!” Johan yelps. “Over my dead body! I’d sooner join lacrosse! And I don’t know anything about lacrosse!”

“That makes two of us,” Asuka says. “But, while I was in the teacher’s lounge, I heard talk that we’re getting an interesting new student—someone who might be able to help us out.”

Johan leans forward. “Oh? Who might that be?”

Asuka grins. “You’re not going to believe it—Yuki Judai himself!”

 

 

“You’re going to want to stay on Cronos-sensei’s good side,” Sho warns, looking over Jaden’s schedule as they hike their way to the main campus. “He has zero tolerance for slacking off, or for low grades. He hates everyone below Honors class. He totally hates me.”

“Not this year, bro,” Jaden says, clapping Sho on the shoulder. “We’re going to totally improve your grades, by improving your confidence, and I know just the way to make it happen!”

“How’s that?” Sho asks.

“Same way I did!” Jaden tells him, “Dance!”

Sho snorts. “You can’t be serious. Jaden, I don’t dance.”

“Doesn’t matter!” Jaden cries, shaking Sho by his shoulders. “You have no idea what a boost of confidence it is every time you master the next part of a routine! Besides, it wouldn’t be like there was anyone watching, just me and you—here, we can start right now! Want me to teach you the routine for ‘Gotcha’?”

Sho blinks up at Jaden. “Right now? I, uh, I’m a little tired right now, maybe tomorrow?”

“Not like that!” Jaden says. “Here, straighten up, tell me no in a sure way!”

Sho puts his shoulders back and tries to feel stern. “No, thank you, but I’m tired now.”

Jaden claps. “That’s more like it!”

Sho grins, but it quickly fades. “I mean it though, I can’t dance.”

Jaden shakes his head. “No such thing. Dance doesn’t have to be special, especially if you’re not doing it for anyone but yourself! Same goes for singing—do you ever sing to yourself?”

“In the shower,” Sho admits.

“Well, why in the shower? Because it’s fun, and relaxing, and nobody can hear it but yourself! Doesn’t matter if you’re good or not, right?”

“I guess,” Sho says, and despite his trepidation, he’s getting excited now. “You would really teach me to dance?”

“Sure, as long as our homework and stuff is done, I’ll teach you any time you want.”

“And you really think it will help?”

Jaden shrugs. “There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

They pass a group of students on the path, and they do a double take when they see Jaden. He stiffens, it’s so slight that Sho almost misses it, but after seeing how carefree he’s been for the last day, seeing him nervous is startling.

“Back to professors,” Sho continues, jabbing his finger at Jaden’s schedule, “Daitokuji is a pretty good one, but sit in the back of his science class, he’s got a nasty habit of knocking over stacks of books and bottles of liquid. When you have him for Japanese II, try to sit up front, his handwriting is beautiful but can be hard to read from the back.”

Jaden relaxes. “What about Bonaparte?”

Sho rolls his eyes. “The man is terrible no matter where you sit. Honestly, he only likes ten students in this school—the top ten. He’s worse than Cronos. Ayukawa-sensei, she does literature and Phys Ed, she’s really nice, all the guys have a crush on her. Or all the straight ones, minus me, cuz she’s way out of my league.”

They’ve made it to the main campus by now, and Jaden is attracting more than a few double takes, and Sho can tell people are whispering about him. They’ve known each other for only a day and already Sho feels so protective of Jaden, which is so unlike him. He wonders if it’s because, despite knowing him for a short time, Jaden’s the first person who didn’t judge Sho for his poor academic performance. Sho doesn’t want anyone to carry their own preconceived notions about Yuki Judai the popstar, over to Jaden Yuki, the guy who devoured the crappy dorm food that very morning, and who told Sho that he’d never tasted anything so good.

‘Welcome Day’ is technically an all-day event, but the main part is the assembly in the gym at 4 PM, where Chancellor Samejima gives a speech to all the students. After that there’s a buffet style meal for all the students, and then there’s usually an unsanctioned after-party in the Blue dorm. Sho was invited to last years’ party, and he went for all of five minutes before he realized that he didn’t belong there.

The sudden memory almost makes Sho stop dead in his tracks, and he stumbles a bit as he remembers that yes, he does indeed have to keep walking. Jaden steadies Sho with a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay there?”

Sho nods, wiping sweaty palms on his jeans. “Y-yeah, just…um, usually the Blue dorm hosts a party after the official welcome dinner and, uh…last year it didn’t go so well for me. I doubt I’ll be invited back, but just in case, I’m not going.”

Jaden looks puzzled, but right away says, “Well if they don’t want you I’m sure not going.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Sho mutters, though he’s secretly pleased at how Jaden sticks up for him.

By this point they’re in the gym. It’s been set up with a few dozen tables, each covered in blue and red tablecloths, and set with ceramic plates. Jaden heads right for a table in a corner, and he quickly flings most of the chairs to neighboring tables, along with their plates. When he’s done, there are only two spare place settings left. He sits casually, and Sho gives him a hard look.

“What?” Jaden asks faux-innocently.

“You say I have confidence issues.”

“Hey, it’s for your benefit too,” Jaden says, “Trust me, I’ve been mobbed before, and it is not fun for me or for anyone around me.”

Sho sits next to Jaden and puts up his fists. “I’ll protect you, Jaden! Let them try to get past me!”

Jaden grins, and the two of them go back to discussing professors. As it turns out, nobody sits at their little table, though a few people continue to glance in Jaden’s direction. Finally the dinner officially starts with Chancellor Samejima giving his welcome speech telling all the students, who have read and heard the speech before, about why Kaiba Academy is special.

“I know, I know,” He laughs as many students groan. “But it bears repeating. Our founder, Seto Kaiba, set this school up so that everyone who wanted to come here would be given a fair shot, if they were willing to work for it. We don’t just focus on preparing you for college, we don’t even expect you to apply. We want you to prepare for what will happen to all of you in the future—and that is life itself. School will be a big part of what shapes you, but more important will be the choices that you make. It is my sincere wish that each of you will learn to approach each choice you make with the wisdom that this academy will impart to you. We hope to educate you in math, history, science, and beyond—and we hope you will in the process learn something about yourselves. We hope that you will learn to do what is right in your hearts.”

“Cheesy,” Sho mutters, but Jaden seems awestruck. Sho leans over and whispers, “This is why twice a week we have a class called ‘Society.’ Chancellor Samejima oversees it himself, there’s only about 15 people in each session, and it’s basically just talking about the world. It’s my favorite class, it’s everyone’s favorite.”

Jaden fumbles for his schedule—he and Sho have matching ones. “We have it on Tuesday before lunch, and Friday first thing in the morning!”

Samejima continues, “Now that the seriousness is out of the way, let’s move on to what I know all our returning students know all too well—our annual club fair will take place in two weeks, and the pep rally will take place three months after that, just before we leave for summer break! It may seem like a long time to many of you, but every single club is required to participate in the pep rally somehow. And since each student is required to join a club, it means all of you will be participating in some way to make this a special celebration. For example, art clubs will decorate, theater club will put on a show, baking club will help the chefs prepare food, and the journalism and photography club will document the event. But our new students will be able to learn more about each club’s contribution to the pep rally during the club fair.”

Jaden turns to Sho. “So, what club were you in last year?”

Sho wrinkles his nose. “Journalism and photography. I was the photographer but I didn’t really like it much. Unless you accepted the position of club president last term, you don’t have to join the same club again, though most students do.”

Jaden pouts. “You shouldn’t do something you don’t like. It’s such a small school, can we form a club of just the two of us and call it, I don’t know, study club?”

Sho laughs. “Man, I wish, but every club needs to have a minimum of three members and they have to have an open enrollment period, unless it’s something like theater where you audition. But you could form your own club if you wanted.”

It’s Jaden’s turn to wrinkle his nose. “Maybe, I’ll have to see.”

The student council president, Fujioka Saki, makes a quick speech, and then it’s time for dinner. Sho and Jaden wait until the line goes down to go up, but as soon as they near the food, a girl approaches them.

“Are you…Yuki Judai?”

Jaden grins, but Sho can see that it’s tight at the edges. “Yeah, but I’d really like it if I could be known as Jaden here.”

The girl squeaks, smiles, and says, “I’ll call you Jaden! Welcome to Kaiba Academy, Jaden-san!”

She runs back to her table, and Sho steers Jaden towards the food. They fill their plates and walk back to their table, but this time when they walk, there’s no denying that a lot of the students are staring at Jaden and whispering about him. Back at the table, Jaden stares at his food and pushes it around his plate for a few minutes without taking a bite. Then Sho leans across the table and whispers, “You know, I forgot to mention it before, but Samejima has the biggest crush on the head of the cafeteria.”

Jaden snaps his head up. “Wait, really? Tome-san?”

Sho nods.

Jaden grins. “That’s so cute, they’d be adorable together!”

“Yeah, and everyone knows he likes her, but as far as I know all they do is flirt, he’s never asked her out.”

Jaden looks stricken. “That is a crime against humanity!” He shovels a bite of food in his mouth and mutters, “I’m gonna get ‘em together, just you wait!”

Sho laughs and while Jaden is distracted with his food, he glares around at the tables, staring down a few people who make eye contact with him. When the plates are cleared, someone starts playing radio hits over the loudspeaker. Manjoume Jun, arguably the richest student of the school and top of the second year class, comes over to Jaden and Sho’s table.

“There’s a party at the Blue dorm after this,” He says, eyes only on Jaden. “You’re welcome to come, Jaden.”

Jaden frowns. “You haven’t invited my friend here.”

Sho gulps as Jun glances at him. Jun sneers and says, “You can do better.”

Jaden stands and Sho can see the way anger makes his hands shake. “You know what, I’m not sure how I could. Sho, buddy, you wanna go chill at our dorm?”

Sho nods and stands. “Yeah, sounds good to me.” He almost flinches away from Jun’s look, but remembering what Jaden told him about his posture, he straightens his back and frowns at Jun. “The hell are you looking at?”

Jun’s anger is replaced by shock, and Sho bolts after Jaden before he can see if Jun starts mocking him. Once outside, Sho doubles over, his hands on his knees.

“I talked back to Manjoume,” He says. “I can’t believe I did that!”

“He seems like a jerk,” Jaden says, “But how come you…uh, well I mean…”

“How come he scares the crap outta me?” Sho asks. “He’s a bully. The kind who doesn’t need to throw a punch to hit you where you’re weakest. He does more with a well-placed glare than his words.”

Jaden looks shocked. “Sho, not to sound like a total ass but I’m not sure how else to say it…did you enjoy yourself at this school at all last year?”

Sho chuckles. “I don’t think you sound like a _total_ ass. To be honest I did have fun—some classes are better than others, like society, and some students are nice. I wasn’t sure about coming back, but something made me want to stick it out. And now I have you as a friend, so that’s something.”

Jaden shakes his head. “You talk down about yourself a lot, but I think what you just said proves how strong you really are. You came back, after all.”

Sho grins. “I guess I did, didn’t I?”

Just then, they hear a voice call out to them. “Judai, Sho, wait up!”

Sho turns around and his jaw drops. “Asuka, Johan!”

The two catch up to Jaden and Sho, each panting.

“Man, you guys are fast,” Johan says. “We wanted to talk to you guys.”

“Both of us?” Sho asks.

Asuka nods. “With my brother gone, the Tomorrow Kids club is short on members. We could have an open audition, but Cronos-sensei is giving us a week to get a new member or disband.”

“That seems unfair,” Sho says.

“It is,” Asuka agrees, “Which is why we want to ask both of you to join.” She turns to Jaden. “We’re a classic no-future garage band, but my brother and I loved singing, and he started the band when he got here. Johan and I joined, but my brother graduated and now we need members. Since you sing, and we know you play guitar and drums, we wondered if you would consider joining our club.” She turns to Sho. “And I heard that you’re great with computer software. If you don’t want to go back to photography, we could really use someone who can help us behind the scenes, you know? Or we can show you the synth program on my laptop, I’m crap at using it but hey, if you can figure it out and you want to go on stage, that’s great too!”

“The choice is yours,” Johan adds, “But we need an answer soon so we know if we need auditions or not.”

“What do you do for the pep rally?” Jaden asks.

“Put on a little show,” Asuka says. “Last year we went on after the theater kids, performed a cover of a Tohoshinki song. It was pretty good but not great. The rest of the year we just mess around with instruments. My brother was really into it, we took a backseat to him, but we want this year to be different.”

Jaden looks over at Sho. “I need to think about it. What about you?”

“Same,” Sho says.

Jaden turns back to Asuka and Johan. “Can we let you know tomorrow?”

They both nod. Johan hands them both a sheet of paper. “That’s got my phone number and dorm room number. If you have any questions, just ask!”

“Thanks,” Jaden says. “We’ll see you around.”

Sho waves, and the two of them continue to the Red dorm. After a minute of walking in silence, Jaden turns to Sho. “What do you think? Do you know them? Well, you must, since you knew their names.”

Sho nods. “We weren’t best friends, but they’re actually some of the nicer people in this place. I’ve known Asuka for a long time, her older brother is my older brother’s best friend.” And Sho has the most massive crush on her, but lord knows no matter how confident Jaden makes him with dance lessons, Sho will never admit it. Not unless he grows two feet along with his confidence burst.

“Did they ask you to join the band before?”

Sho nods. “Her brother did. I’ve actually done a few things for Fubuki in the past, but I never really wanted to be part of the club full-time. By that point I’d already joined photography.” He’s beginning to think that as long as Johan and Asuka will have him, even if it’s without Jaden, he might join their club.

“So, you’re good with computers?”

Sho shakes his thoughts away and grins at Jaden. “Technology in general, really. When I was a kid, my mom got a camera second hand. It had all the pieces, but not the instruction manual. I asked if I could try to figure it out and she let me. It took me all of two hours to know everything about it, I even made a list for her of how to set it up to take the best picture under any condition.”

“That’s so neat!” Jaden says. “You know, you should join their club even if I decide not to. Although I gotta admit, I probably will. A small club is perfect for me, and I sure don’t mind performing for the pep rally. Still gotta think about it, though.” Even though he says that, he’s already putting Johan’s phone number into his contact list.

Sho walks along with a new spring in his step. “I think it’ll be fun. More fun than our third period science class, anyway.”

 

 

Daitokuji-sensei is the same man Sho remembers. Very nice, absolutely brilliant, but very clumsy. All teachers are required to do roll-call for the first week of class, even though there’s almost forty students per lecture. When Daitokuji-sensei calls Jaden Yuki, a few students are puzzled, but a few girls squeak. Clearly the girl from last night told her friends about Jaden’s name change. Daitokuji doesn’t make much of a fuss about it, as soon as roll-call is done he knocks over the stack of textbooks he’s meant to be handing out, and a few students in the front leap up to help him. One of them is Johan. The students pass out the textbooks to the students, and Johan brings textbooks to the back for Sho and Jaden, giving them each a wink as he goes back to his seat. The first class assignment is to help their professor make a kind of polymer. They take turns reading out instructions, and all the students record their observations.

History is much more boring. Professor Bonaparte rambles about learning from history, about how he only helps students who help themselves, and he doesn’t give second chances. He teaches them nothing.

Sho walks into Cronos-sensei’s classroom and takes a minute to look around. Another year, another chance. That’s what Jaden said last night as Sho was packing his school bag, and Sho’s inclined to believe it. Speaking of Jaden, he’s hovering by Sho’s side. Sho leads him to the middle of the back row. Cronos-sensei starts with roll, only instead of calling “Jaden Yuki,” as even Professor Bonaparte had, he calls “Yuki Judai.” At that Jaden stands up and says, “I would like to be called Jaden, sir.”

Cronos-sensei sniffs and mutters, then moves on to the next name. Jaden sits, a look of confusion on his face.

“He’s such an ass,” Sho mumbles.

Luckily right after that Sho and Jaden have a free period, then lunch. They start to head back to their dorm, but they’re stopped by Johan, who is once again in their class.

“Are you two free now?”

They nod, and Johan grins. “So are Asuka and I. We were going to go hang out in our band practice room, want to come?”

Sho can see a bunch of people starting to stare at Jaden, and he just wants to get moving. “I’ll go,” Sho says, giving Jaden a look.

Jaden nods. “Me, too.”

Johan leads the way, walking quickly. He leads them around countless hallways, staircases, and finally the end up in a wing in one of the towers. They go down a spiraling staircase and end up at a door with a heavy bolt and a sliding panel window. Johan knocks, and the panel slides open, revealing Asuka’s face. The lock clicks, and the door swings open.

Sho’s been in this room a handful of times, but it looks much different now, probably because Fubuki’s usual wall of costumes is gone, as are his standing cardboard cut-out figures. The room is about the size of a standard classroom, much smaller than the lecture halls, and it’s covered with egg-crate foam to make it soundproof. It seems like the one thing Fubuki didn’t take were his guitars—well, minus the purple one he was so fond of. There are three guitars, one keyboard, and one drum set in the room, and it’s topped off with one sagging sofa. It’s part palace, part dump.

Asuka waves to Sho and Jaden. “Nice to see you. We thought that for things to be fair, we should let you into our clubhouse and show you exactly what we do here.”

Jaden is staring at the door. “Did thing this come out a fortress?”

Asuka laughs. “Almost, it was here when my older brother claimed the room, and he kept it because we apparently need a ton of privacy. As much as my bro loved attention, he never invited anyone he couldn’t trust into this place, I don’t even think Cronos-sensei knows exactly where we practice.” Her face darkens. “Though that may have changed.”

Jaden’s face darkens too. “He refused to call me Jaden.”

“I saw that,” Johan says. “What an ass.”

Asuka looks between the boys. “Can I see your schedules?”

Johan lets her have his, and Sho hands his over. “Jaden and I have everything together.”

Asuka looks over Johan and Sho’s papers. “You three have science and math together, and I have Japanese II with Sho and Jaden. We all have society and Phys Ed together! And the same free periods Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.”

Jaden laughs. “It sounds kinda like destiny.”

That makes Asuka and Johan both snap to attention. “Have either of you thought about joining our club?” Johan asks.

“I have,” Sho says, “And I will, if you still want me.”

Johan and Asuka shriek with glee and they both run at Sho, hugging him so tight he almost chokes.

“You’re the best!” Asuka cries, “I knew we could count on you, Sho!” And then she kisses his cheek. Sho feels like he could float away. He knows his face is burning red, and he can hear Jaden giggling.

Johan turns to Jaden. “We totally still want you in the band, but if you don’t want to join, it’s cool.”

“You know, I think I do want to hang out with you guys,” Jaden says. “You seem cool.”

Johan and Asuka hug Jaden too, and when they release him they collapse on the sagging sofa. “We’re safe,” Asuka says happily. “Cronos told us if we didn’t get the minimum number of students to join the club, he’d make us both be on student council.”

“He can do that?” Jaden asks.

Johan and Asuka nod. “But now, all we have to worry about is performing for the pep rally. So let me ask the two of you, how do you feel about being on stage?”

Jaden grins at Sho, who feels the blood drain from his face.

“We can work on it,” Jaden says. “In the meantime, let’s see these instruments!”

 

 

Word spreads quickly that Jaden has joined the Tomorrow Kids, and that he’s apparently best friends with his roommate. By the time the foursome join together for Society, it’s clear that the whole school knows. The classroom is arranged with sixteen chairs in a circle, fifteen for students and one for Samejima-san. Jaden sits between Sho and Johan, with Asuka on Johan’s other side, and he talks to them as casually as he can, but it’s clear that the eleven other students in their group are staring at Jaden in open awe. At least, they are until Samejima-san comes into the room and breaks their concentration with a sharp clap.

“What’s this?” He asks with a frown. “Students, what kind of looks are you giving to a fellow classmate?”

The students who were ogling Jaden look away.

Samejima-san continues, “Didn’t we discuss over and over—we don’t discriminate or judge people based on social class, race, or appearance. This goes for people who you may see on TV as well. Mr. Yuki is a student at this academy, same as the rest of you.” He sits in the remaining chair and gestures to Jaden. “Mr. Yuki, I apologize if I overstepped my boundaries. Have you anything to add?”

Jaden inhales deeply. “Just this—I don’t want to be a celebrity here. I just want to do well in my classes and honor my fellow students.”

For the rest of the class period, the students discuss the dangers of thinking of people in only one way, and how they can look at things in a multi-dimensional way. By the end of the period, the students no longer stare at Jaden, and a few even apologize to him.

In last period math, Jaden sits between Sho and Johan. Cronos-sensei calls roll, and once again calls “Yuki Judai.”

Sho feels a flash of anger that he doesn’t want to hold back, and he cries, “He prefers ‘ _Jaden!_ ’”

At the same moment, Jaden says, “I prefer Jaden,” and Johan calls out, “He prefers ‘ _Jaden!’_ ”

Cronos-sensei ignores them.

But the following day, when Cronos-sensei once again calls for Yuki Judai, the entire class yells in unison, “He prefers _‘Jaden!’_ ”

Cronos-sensei jumps, looks around, and sighs. “Jaden Yuki,” He says through gritted teeth.

“Present!” Jaden says happily.

And after that day, Sho doesn’t hear anyone address Jaden as ‘Judai.’

 


	2. The Countdown Begins! It’s Our Diamond Shout!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daily snippets of life are revealed as our favorite foursome countdown to the pep rally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kibouteki Refrain" is used instead of "Hopeful Refrain" because that's the songs proper title and while I write in English (obviously) the story does take place in Japan so I figured it was better to use the Romanized title.  
> And I actually flip-flopped between using AKB48's songs 'Kibouteki Refrain' and 'Oogoe Diamond' as the theme song for the story, so I titled this chapter after the song that I didn't use.

**T-88 Days**

In the band, Asuka has always been a vocalist, alongside her brother, and Johan has always been in charge of drums. Not wanting to disrupt the flow, Jaden calls dibs on a bass guitar.

“Is that what it’s called?” Sho asks. “What’s the difference?”

“The bass has a slightly different sound, and usually four strings versus the standard guitars’ six,” Jaden explains, as he tunes the bass. It’s been a while since he even felt like playing, so he expects to feel a bit rusty. On a whim, he plays a few chords from a song he’s been thinking about for a long time.

“That’s pretty good,” Johan says. “What song is it?”

Jaden hesitates, fighting a blush. “Just something stuck in my head.” Johan doesn’t press him, which Jaden is grateful for.

Asuka and Sho are side by side on the sofa, sharing a pair of earbuds. For once, Sho isn’t staring at Asuka with hearts in his eyes. Instead he’s fully focused on the synthesizer software, and from the look on Asuka’s face, Sho’s pretty good at using it. Jaden looks back to the bass, tapping his fingers against the strings. He slips his phone from his pocket and starts taking a video. He plays around on the strings a bit more, only stopping when the alarm on Asuka’s phone goes off, signaling that it’s time for lunch. The egg-crate walls keep sound in, and keep it out, and their only window is blocked by an air-conditioned that Fubuki apparently snuck onto campus. In short, they can’t hear the bell when it rings, so Asuka always keeps an alarm on.

Jaden points to the AC as the foursome prepare to leave. “Don’t the teachers know about that?”

“Probably,” Asuka says, “But they don’t care. We only plug it in when we use the room, and the instruments use a lot of electricity so it’s not like the spike in our usage generates a lot of concern.”

“I’m amazed at how much you guys get away with,” Jaden says, shaking his head.

Johan laughs. “Yeah? See how Cronos reacts when he realizes he won’t be getting me and Asuka on student council, we’ll see if you’re still singing that song.”

Later that night Jaden plugs his headphones into his phone and replays the video he took. He plays an imaginary bass, strumming the chords he hears, and writes down the rhythm he likes best. The notebook he writes in goes straight into his backpack when he’s done.

‘ _Johan thought it sounded good,_ ’ Jaden thinks to himself as he stares at the wall, trying to quiet the many thoughts that buzz around in his head. If anything, that memory only makes it harder for Jaden to calm down and go to sleep.

 

 

**T-86 Days**

It’s Friday afternoon and the Tomorrow Kids are holed up in their clubhouse with chips, soda, and their instruments. Jaden can read sheet music, and so can Sho thanks to childhood violin lessons, but he and Jaden both need to brush up. After an hour of studying, Jaden suggests a break and asks, “So, who came up with the name of the group?”

Asuka rolls her eyes. “That would be my brother. Even before I came to this school he knew he wanted me in the group, so he named the band after me, since my name means ‘Tomorrow’s fragrance’.”

Jaden nods. “I like it, but…we’re not really kids, are we?”

The other three look at each other thoughtfully.

“Guess not,” Johan says.

“I hope I’m not overstepping,” Jaden says, “But maybe we can change ‘kids’ to something else?”

“Fine with me,” Asuka says. “You like the _Tomorrow_ part?”

“Yeah,” Jaden says with a grin. “I love thinking about the future.”

“How about _Tomorrow Teens_?” Johan suggests.

“We could go with _Tomorrow’s Fragrance_ ,” Sho says, glancing at Asuka.

“Too long to say,” Asuka says. “But…maybe _Wind_? _Tomorrow Wind_?”

“There’s already a group with that name,” Jaden says.

“Or _Breeze_ ,” Johan suggests. “ _Tomorrow Breeze._ ”

“Hey, I like that!” Asuka says.

Jaden claps his hands. “Me too!”

“Sounds neat,” Sho agrees.

Asuka grabs a pen and makes a note on her arm. “Then I’ll put in the papers to have our club named changed, I’ll fill them out tonight.”

Jaden points at her. “You do that too! Sho writes on his arm all the time!”

“What’s on it now?” Asuka asks.

Sho blushes. “‘ _Finish your history essay, lazy!_ ’” He rolls up his sleeve to show the words written in thick black strokes. “I told Jaden not to let me shower until I finish my essay.”

Johan grabs Jaden by the shoulders and shakes him. “Have mercy on us!” he wails before falling to the floor dramatically.

Everyone has a good laugh over that.

 

 

**T-80 Days**

“Sho, can I ask you something?”

Sho looks up from his math assignment. Jaden’s lounging on his bed, a notebook open in front of him. “Yeah, go ahead,” Sho says. Anything is better than math homework.

Jaden taps his pencil against his notebook. “What would you say if I told you I was writing a song?”

Sho shoves his math homework aside. “I’d say that sounds awesome! Wow, Jaden!”

Jaden looks down at his notebook, hiding a sheepish smile. “I’m not sure if it’s any good, but I think…I want to ask you, Johan, and Asuka if we could all work on it together for the pep rally.”

Sho stands up and walks over to Jaden’s bed. “Can I see what you’ve got?”

Jaden hands over his notebook and Sho scans the lyrics. He reads with wide eyes. “ _‘The coincidences keep piling up, like hints from destiny…_ ’ Jaden, this is really poetic!”

Jaden laughs softly. “You really think so? I’ve been toying with these lyrics for a long time.”

“What did you call the song?” Sho asks, looking at the top of the page.

Jaden twirls his pencil in his fingers. “I’ve been thinking about ‘ _Kibouteki Refrain_.’”

Sho hands the notebook back. “I like it! I say keep it.”

Jaden grins, and he writes that title at the top of the page of lyrics.

 

 

**T-79 Days**

When Jaden shows Johan and Asuka his lyrics, they immediately agree that the song sounds good on paper, and they ask Jaden if he’s got an arrangement. Jaden picks up the bass and plays the few chords he’s decided that he likes.

“It’s not a lot,” he says nervously. “The lyrics need more work, and the music even more, but I thought with the four of us working on it together, maybe we could finish it in time for the pep rally, if you’re open to performing an original song.”

“Dude!” Johan cries, “We’re totally up for it!”

Asuka races for her own guitar. “Play those chords again, tell me what notes you’re playing, we’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

Jaden grips his base so tightly he’s afraid he’ll break it, but his cheeks hurt from his smile and he can’t remember the last time he was this excited about a song.

 

 

**T-77 Days**

The foursome walk among the tables at the club fair just for the sake of it, even though they don’t have a table. Freshmen dart back and forth between tables, and a couple of seniors try to explain the sports club roster to some kids who can’t figure out how a school of 250 students has enough people for a full basketball team, football team, and soccer team. Several booths play music, one has the station tuned to the latest pop hits. In a lull of conversation, everyone hears the chorus of “Gotcha.”

All heads swivel to Jaden, who bursts out laughing. He’s so hysterical that he leans on Sho for support, and Sho laughs too, until soon the tension passes and no one is looking anymore. Jaden straightens up and Sho can tell that Jaden’s putting on a huge act, trying to be casual. His whole body is tense and his hands are shaking. Unable to stand seeing his friend so unsure, Sho grabs Jaden’s arm and says, “Do you still want to teach me the dance to that song?”

Jaden does a double take and smiles a genuine smile. “You want to learn?”

Sho nods. “Absolutely, if you want to show me.”

Jaden and Sho excuse themselves from Johan and Asuka and go back to their dorm. Jaden plays the song from his laptop and goes over the routine with Sho. Sho is nervous at first, because he approaches things like a perfectionist, and he’s worried about messing up. Jaden tells him that dance isn’t supposed to be perfect, it’s supposed to be fun! And after a couple of minutes, Sho has to admit, Jaden is right. Dancing is really fun! They go over the steps together over and over, and after a while Jaden starts making up his own. Before long Sho joins him, until they’re having an all-out dance party in their dorm. The radio is playing on the lowest setting, and they’re keeping their footsteps light so they won’t get in trouble, but it’s still the best party Sho’s ever been to. They have class the next day, but they soon lose track of time. When Sho finally waves to Jaden and says he’s too tired, he can’t possibly dance anymore, he looks at the clock and realizes it’s almost midnight.

“We’ve been at this for seven hours!” Sho cries, then quickly lowers his voice. “Jaden, can you believe it?!”

Jaden collapses on his bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. “No, I can’t!”

 

 

**T-76 Days**

Johan looks amazed as he hands over Sho and Jaden’s homework for the classes they missed. “The nurse really wrote you a sick pass for excessive dancing? How did you manage that?”

“She didn’t write that on our passes,” Jaden says, reading over the paper. “She said we exercised too much, but we told her the truth and she appreciated it.”

Johan shakes his head. “I see from the banana peels in your trash bin that you’ve been getting lots of potassium. Been staying hydrated, too?”

Sho nods. He and Jaden have been on the bottom bunk all day, since Sho’s legs were too sore for him to even climb his ladder. “We’ll be back in class tomorrow.”

“Was it worth it?” Johan asks with a smile that says he already know the answer.

“Definitely,” Sho and Jaden say together.

 

 

**T-65 Days**

The first month of school passed too quickly, then the first half of the next month passed too quickly, now the first exams are coming. Sho’s a mess of nerves, to the point that last week Asuka, Johan, and Jaden shoved him into the practice room and told him to pound away at the drums until he felt better. Sho came out 20 minutes later, red-faced and panting with exertion, but he seemed to be feeling a bit better. Band practice takes a backseat as they all study for the hardest tests—math, science, and Japanese II. During their study sessions, it’s clear that Sho knows his stuff, but as soon as they’re in the classroom environment, he stumbles over things Jaden knows he remembers.

“Jaden?”

“Yeah, Sho?”

“Did you ever get really, really nervous over something?”

Jaden grins at Sho from across their table at the library. “Of course. But each time I did, I closed my eyes and thought about how much I practiced for that moment, and about all the work I put in. Then I took a deep breath and said, ‘ _I got this._ ’”

“That worked?”

“For me it did.”

Sho taps his fingers against his notebook. “You don’t really get nervous about performing, do you? Not the way you get nervous about other things.”

“I enjoy the spotlight,” Jaden agrees, then he adds, “Under certain circumstances.”

Sho hesitates, then asks, “What makes you the most nervous?”

Jaden looks thoughtful. He takes Sho’s notebook and writes something, then slides the book across the table. He’s written a single word.

‘ _Expectations._ ’

 

 

**T-59 Days**

Sho doesn’t score as high on his tests as Jaden does, but he scores higher than he ever did in his first year. He stares at his grades, grinning ear to ear, and Jaden high fives him a dozen times that day.

“So, how did you overcome your nerves?” Jaden asks.

“Well, I took your advice,” Sho says. “I remembered how hard I worked, and I reminded myself that you, Johan, and Asuka all said I have it in me to do better. As much as it helps to believe in myself, it also helps to have someone else believe in me.”

Jaden grins at him. “Well, I’m really happy for you, and I bet you’ll only improve from here. The first time is always the hardest.”

With the first round of tests out of the way, Tomorrow’s Breeze is back to songwriting. During a meeting in their practice room/clubhouse, they tackle the lyrics and after just over an hour, agree that they’ve gotten to a good place on the lyrics. If they change anything now, it will be because they need to match an amazing beat. They’re all in good spirits, and make plans to celebrate their success with a weekend trip. Every weekend a ferry arrives at the Academy to take students to the mainland. So far Jaden, Sho, Asuka, and Johan haven’t left the campus, but this seems like a good time for a break.

 

 

**T-57 Days**

Every student at Kaiba Academy calls the port town on the mainland “The City,” though it isn’t much of a city—certainly it’s no Tokyo. Still, it has chain stores, restaurants, and a proper music supply store, which after the nearly hour-long boat trip, is the first stop for the foursome. They buy guitar picks, drumsticks, blank music sheets, and some new bass strings. Then they head over to the supermarket for treats. They get a cart and fill it with cup ramen, chips, candy, bread, and soda. Then Johan gets serious and adds tissues, over-the-counter medicine, vitamins, and several packages of pens.

“My pens always vanish,” he says when Asuka raises an eyebrow.

They borrow the shopping cart to take their things to the dock, where they tie tags with their names around the handles of the shopping bags and leave them in a storage room. They return the cart and go to the outdoor mall. Jaden makes a beeline for the cosmetic shops and picks up a bunch of skin care products, and after hearing him talk about what’s good about each product, Sho, Johan, and Asuka buy a few things too. Then it’s time to eat. They go to a noodle restaurant and make sure that they each order something different, then they pass the bowls in a circle until each one is gone. They spend some time sitting outside in the sun, letting the food digest, and then Sho points to an ice cream place.

“Who’s up for dessert?”

The shop is small and crowded with families, and they get separated between registers. When they regroup outside, Asuka looks between Johan and Jaden and asks, “Did you guys order the same thing?”

The two of them look into their cups. Johan says, “Mint-chocolate chip, dark chocolate, and pistachio, one scoop of each.”

“Me too!” Jaden cries.

Johan loops his arm through Jaden’s. “We were destined to meet. Now tell Asuka that this combo is delicious and she has no idea what she’s missing.”

Jaden nods seriously. “He’s right, it’s seriously good.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Sho says.

“Me too,” Asuka agrees.

They spend the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets, eating their melting ice cream, and talking. Jaden and Johan keep their arms linked, and Sho walks side by side with Asuka. Several times he wonders if he should take her hand, but he always chickens out. Finally it gets to be time to go back to the port, and they get their groceries and board the ship with the rest of their classmates. The four of them grab a table with two bench seats near the back of the boat, next to the motor. They toss their groceries under the table and sit down. Sho slides towards the window and Asuka takes the spot next to him, while Jaden and Johan sit together. It’s not the formation they took on the way in, and Sho gets a rush of joy when Asuka’s knee brushes his under the table.

Jaden puts his head down on his arms and falls asleep in minutes. Johan follows him soon after, and then Asuka puts her head on the table.

“Aren’t you tired?” She asks Sho—her voice is low, and the motor is loud. Sho mostly reads her lips.

“Not really,” Sho says with a shrug.

Asuka grins tiredly. “Wish I had your energy,” she mumbles, closing her eyes.

Once they get back to the Academy there’s a bit of confusion over who bought what, and they’re all still tired—even Sho, who said he wasn’t—so none of them really feel like sorting it out on the docks. The four of them head to the Blue dorm and up to Johan’s room. They sort through all their things, but when they finally get it divided Jaden whines that he’s still too tired to walk back to the red dorm. The four of them sit on the sofa and Asuka sets an alarm for two hours, they turn on the TV, and they’re all asleep within five minutes.

They wake up before the alarm goes off, and Asuka and Johan offer to help Sho and Jaden carry their things back to the red dorm. They protest half-heartedly and give in easily. The four of them walk in the same comfortable formation they had earlier in the day, and to Sho it feels an awful lot like a double date coming to an end.

Johan and Asuka drop Jaden and Sho at the red dorm and wave goodbye with a simultaneous “See you guys tomorrow.”

Once the groceries are put away Jaden turns to Sho and says, “That was more fun than I’ve had in a while, right up there with our dance party.”

Sho nods. “It was a great day.”

Jaden flops down on his bunk. “Wanna know what I liked most?”

“Tell me,” Sho says, climbing up to his own bunk.

Jaden says, almost wistfully, “Nobody called me Judai in the city. I don’t think anyone recognized me at all.”

 

 

**T-52 Days**

Sho and Asuka spend a free period getting tutoring for Japanese II, and that leaves Johan and Jaden alone in the clubhouse. They each try to practice a bit, but soon find themselves distracted.

“I left my duel monsters cards home, so I can’t even challenge you to a proper fight!” Jaden whines.

Johan chuckles and shuffles his own deck. “Asuka calls me a nerd for keeping these on me, but I can’t help it! I had them all the time in middle school, it was how I made friends when I moved to Japan. If I don’t have them now, I feel anxious all day, like I’ve forgotten something else, besides just my cards.”

“Where did you live before Japan?” Judai asks.

“Copenhagen, Denmark,” Johan says.

Jaden’s jaw drops. “You’re quite a long way from home! How did you end up here?”

Johan grins proudly. “My dad works for the Toyota Company and he got a huge promotion a few years ago. He went to Japan first, and my mom and I studied Japanese for a few months before we followed him over.”

“Do you like Japan?” Jaden asks.

“Love it!” Johan says. “Of course, it’s different from Scandinavia, and a lot of things were hard at first, not the least of which was Japanese, but each place has its good points.”

Jaden smiles, but it’s a bit sad. “You know, we have more in common than I first realized. We both had to start over.”

Johan nods. “Guess we did. How are you doing with that, by the way?”

Jaden shrugs. “I miss performing. I miss my friends from all the variety shows, I miss my friends in the company, my managers and the producers. But I don’t miss the company itself. I don’t miss the strict schedule, all the rules. Yeah there are rules here, but not half as bad as the ones I had in the company. Plus I haven’t even been in a normal school since I was like, eight.”

Johan looks shocked. “That long?”

Jaden nods. “I was a child star, I started on TV dramas. I joined the company to start training for singing and dancing when I was eleven. Debuted as a singer at twelve. Here I am almost five years later.”

“Wow,” Johan says. “And you’re really okay with leaving that for a whole year, maybe even two?”

Jaden hesitates. “I am. My parents are. I think even my fans would wait for me—but I’m not super worried about losing fans. I don’t think that many people are that fickle. The problem is my company. I’m pretty sure they…well, come summer break, they’ll want me back.”

“And you don’t want to go back?”

Jaden flops down on his back and stares at the ceiling. “Not unless they change things. It hit me, after I fainted and I woke up in the hospital with an IV coming out of my arm, that this wasn’t what I had wanted. I started performing because I was having fun, but lately, it hasn’t been fun at all. I understand the tradeoff, there has to be hard work, and it can’t always be fun, but I wasn’t enjoying anything. I was so tired, and so…sad, all the time.”

“There’s a name for that,” Johan says gently.

“Depression?” Jaden asks. “Yeah, I was evaluated for it. But the doctors said, and I agreed, all I really needed was a break.”

“Not many people would consider school a break,” Johan says. “Do you like it here?”

Jaden looks at Johan with a wide smile. “I do. I love learning, and I like being with kids my age who aren’t on stage five nights a week. I tend to think of myself as two parts of a while—Judai, popstar, and Jaden, teenager. I’ve been a popstar for a while, now I want to be Jaden.”

Johan lays down across from Jaden. “You know, you don’t have to perform at the pep rally if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to,” Jaden says quickly. “I think it would be fun, I’ve never been in a proper band before, and Asuka is still going to be the main singer, I’m just the backup vocalist.” He props himself up on one arm. “But hey, we don’t have to keep talking about me. I want to hear about Denmark!”

Johan laughs. “It’s beautiful. We’re right by the ocean, we have beautiful beaches, and the city is full of these 19th century buildings. We get crazy weather systems and there are months where we only get 2 hours of sunlight, but I still think that the beauty of the city makes up for it. Copenhagen is the home of the statue of the Little Mermaid, and we have so many great museums, and parks. And we have a constitutional monarchy, just like Japan.”

“Do you get a lot of snow?” Jaden asks.

“Oh yeah,” Johan says. “And man, you haven’t lived until you’ve done snow sports in Denmark. Do you do skiing, or snowboarding?”

“Snowboarding,” Jaden says, “I’ve been every winter with my parents.”

“You gotta go to Denmark and go snowboarding. You should come over winter break, Asuka said she would come this year, you can come too, and Sho! We should all go to the mountains and go snowboarding.”

Jaden holds out his hand. “I’m in, it sounds amazing.”

They shake on it, and later that night tell Asuka and Sho about their plans for a winter holiday.

“I’ve never been snowboarding,” Sho says, “But after this year I don’t think there’s anything I won’t try. I’m in!”

“A winter holiday with you guys?” Asuka laughs. “I feel like I’m in trouble, but I’ll be there!”

 

 

**T-45 Days**

Sho’s been noticing something off about Jaden over the last few days. He’s been jittery, prone to brooding, and in the dorm Sho sometimes hears him muttering to himself, sounding upset when he does. Sometimes he hunches over his computer, typing furiously even though Sho knows they don’t have any essays.

Sho finally confronts Jaden about it. “I know we haven’t been friends for a long time, but I promise I won’t go blabbing about you to anyone. Whatever’s bothering you, you can talk to me about it. I can’t promise I can help, but I can listen.”

Jaden suddenly looks tearful. “Sho, those words mean more to me than you could possibly know, but…I can’t tell you what’s going on right now. I want to but…I can’t. Like, legally, if I tell someone about what…about this thing…well we could both be in trouble if anyone found out.”

Sho sits in the desk chair, his head spinning. “Jaden…is it about something to do with you being a singer?”

Jaden nods. Sho thinks about things he’s heard from Jaden over the past few weeks. “Your company?”

Jaden’s mouth goes tight, and he clenches his hands into fists. Sho takes that as a yes.

“Okay,” Sho says calmly. He wracks his brain for a solution to Jaden’s problem, and then he’s hit with an idea. “Tell Chancellor Samejima.”

Jaden’s head snaps up, his eyes wide. “You think he can help?”

“I know he cares about all of us,” Sho says. “And if you feel like you’re in trouble, or being taken advantage of, he will help you.”

Jaden relaxes, and he gives Sho a genuine smile. “Thanks, buddy.” He hesitates. “There is one more thing I wanted to ask you.”

“Go ahead,” Sho says.

“How do you know when you like someone? As in, you want to date them.”

It’s quite the change from the discussion they just had. Sho immediately thinks of Asuka and his palms sweat. “Um, well…they make your heart race, every time they look at you, you feel like…like you could float away. And you can talk to them about anything, and it never gets boring. Does that help?”

Jaden nods slowly. “Yeah, I think it does. And one more question—have you ever liked another guy?”

Sho shakes his head. “Can’t say that I have. Why, do you like a guy?”

Jaden looks shy. “I kinda think I do.” He suddenly looks panicked. “Not you. I mean, you’re my friend, but I don’t—I don’t mean to make things awkward.”

“It’s not,” Sho promises. “I kinda figured it wasn’t me. You know I like Asuka, don’t you?”

Jaden rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I think Asuka knows you like her. I think she just…I think she wants you to be confident.”

Sho sighs and leans back in his chair. “Maybe if I survive the pep rally I’ll ask her out.”

“Sounds like a good goal,” Jaden says.

 

 

**T-41 Days**

Sho enters the dorm room and gasps. The place is covered in feathers, and Jaden stands in the middle of the mess, a ruined pillow clenched in his fists. But that’s not even the most shocking part—it’s Jaden’s face. He looks like he’s been crying, and he looks equal parts angry, scared, and sad.

“Are you alright?” Sho asks.

Jaden looks down at his hands. He’s breathing hard, like he only just finished beating the crap out of his pillow. “No,” Jaden says quietly. He gets to his feet. “I need to…to go for a walk. By myself. I’m sorry about the mess. I’ll clean it up later, I promise.” Then he’s pushing past Sho and running down the stairs, towards the main campus.

Sho doesn’t mean to sneak, he really doesn’t, but he’s cleaning up the feathers when he finds a slightly crumpled up piece of paper on the floor. It doesn’t look like it was purposely ruined, so Sho straightens it out, and he realizes after a moment of reading that he’s looking at a piece of a contract—he can only assume Jaden’s contract with his company. And according to this piece of paper, any bit of music Jaden makes, as long as his contract is valid, legally belongs to his company.

“Christ,” Sho whispers, falling back, paper still clutched in his hands. “No wonder he was upset.”

 

_‘Not fair, not fair, not fair.’_

The words pound in Jaden’s head, a beat that matches his footfalls as he runs. He’s not even sure where he’s running to, if he wants the nurse because he feels sick, Chancellor Samejima because he’s scared, or…someone else. He answers his own question when, fifteen minutes later, he’s standing outside Johan’s dorm room, banging on the door, hoping Johan is there and alone.

The door opens and Johan gasps, “Jaden, what happened?”

Jaden can barely breathe. He tries to say something, but all he can manage is a gasp that sounds more like a sob. Johan takes Jaden’s arm and pulls him in, towards the sofa. Jaden doesn’t make it that far, his knees give out three steps into the room and he doubles over, sobbing into his hands.

“Jaden, you need to sit up,” Johan says, his voice firm but calm. “You need to sit straight and take deep breaths.”

Jaden sits up, and Johan sits in front of him, a hand on each of Jaden’s arms. “Come on now,” Johan says, rubbing his hands up and down Jaden’s arms. “In four, out four. Breathe in. And out.”

It takes a few minutes for Jaden to catch his breath. When he does, he feels like he only starts crying more. “Johan, I don’t know what to do.”

“What happened?” Johan asks again.

Jaden gulps. “‘Kibouteki Refrain.’ I wrote it while…under contract. The company owns the song…because I wrote it. I was so stupid!” And he breaks down again.

“You’re not stupid,” Johan says firmly. “Did anyone at the company know you wrote the song? Did you tell anyone?”

Jaden wipes his eyes and thinks carefully. “No, I don’t think so. I didn’t start writing the lyrics…until I was in the hospital. I started the music…a while ago, but only when I was alone.”

“Then they have no proof,” Johan says. “We’ll say Sho, Asuka and I wrote it, or something.”

It’s such a simple solution. Jaden feels like a fool. But that’s not his only problem. The unfairness of it all still makes his skin burn. “They own everything I make,” Jaden growls. “That’s what it says in my contract. I don’t own _anything_ , not a damn thing! Not even if I wrote it! It’s just not fair!” He sobs, and covers his face. “I never wanted it to be like this.”

Johan tugs Jaden closer and hugs him. “What do you want?”

Jaden sniffles, and hesitantly wraps his arms around Johan’s waist. What _does_ he want?

“I wanna go to school,” Jaden says. “I want to finish this year. I want to go to Denmark with you, and Sho, and Asuka this winter. And I want to come back to Kaiba Academy next year. But I don’t think my company will let me. I think they want me back. I think they’ll make me go back.”

Johan rubs Jaden’s back soothingly. “So, what do you want to do?”

Jaden leans his forehead on Johan’s shoulder. He takes a deep breath. “I want out of my contract.”

There. He said it. It’s out in the open now, even if he’s just told one person. “But I don’t know if it’s possible,” Jaden continues. “And I don’t know what that will mean for me, going forward. And I don’t want to disappoint anyone. So many people like me, and admire me, they expect things from me!”

“That’s all meaningless if your heart’s not in it,” Johan says. “If you go back, all those people who say they like you, they’ll see that you’re miserable. And you know what? Even if you get out of your contract and disappoint people, there are three people who won’t be disappointed in me. I know three isn’t a whole lot, but it’s a start, right?”

Jaden manages a small laugh. “Are you one of those three?”

“You bet,” Johan says.

Jaden sits up and wipes his face. “You, Sho, and Asuka,” Jaden says. Johan hands him a tissue and Jaden blows his nose. He tosses the tissue into the wastebasket. It’s a slam dunk. Jaden remembers being a kid and playing a game, tossing things into his own trash bin at home to make decisions. ‘If I miss five shots, I’ll go to bed early.’ ‘If I get this on the first one, I’ll go buy a comic book.’

“It’s a start,” Jaden echoes. He smiles at Johan. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Johan says, wiping a stray tear from Jaden’s face. His hand remains on Jaden’s cheek, and Jaden feels his face heat up. He bites his lip, and Johan’s eyes flick to his mouth. He starts to take his hand away, but Jaden grabs his wrist and holds it there.

“I also kind of want to kiss you,” Jaden says. “But maybe this isn’t the best time.”

Johan smiles. “Maybe not.”

Jaden leans forward and presses his lips to Johan’s. It’s hardly a kiss, just a brief bit of pressure, and then he leans back. A stage kiss, that’s what it was. It was to test the water.

Johan smiles again. “Maybe this is a good time.”

Jaden grins. “Yeah, maybe. But before that happens, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

Jaden takes Johan’s hand. “Will you come with me to talk to Samajima-san? Sho said he might be able to help me, and I don’t want to go alone.”

“You bet I will. I’m here for you, Jaden.”

 

Sho wakes up to the sound of his ringtone splitting the silence in half. He gropes for his phone, squinting in the sudden bright light, and answers without checking to see who’s on the other end.

“What’s happening?” Sho asks.

“ _Buddy, it’s me,_ ” Jaden says.

Sho sits up. “Jaden! What happened to you?”

“ _I took your advice, I went to Samejima-san. I’m so sorry I didn’t come back to the dorm. Is it still a mess?_ ”

Sho rubs his eyes, peering around the room, trying to decide if he should get dressed and go to Jaden. “I cleaned it up.”

“ _Damn,_ ” Jaden whispers, “ _I’m really sorry, Sho. I’ll find a way to make it up to you, I promise._ ”

“Don’t worry,” Sho says, “Where are you? Do you need me to come get you?”

“ _No, it’s okay. I actually have to go back to the mainland for a while, I’m leaving now. Samejima-san arranged for transportation, I can’t go back to the dorm, it’ll take too long._ ”

“Are you okay?” Sho demands.

“ _I think so,_ ” Jaden says. “ _I’m…scared, more than I ever have been in my life, but I talked to Samejima, and my parents, and I think I know what I’m doing. I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few days and hopefully when I get back I’ll be able to explain everything._ ”

“I found a piece of paper on the floor when I was cleaning,” Sho says quickly. “Jaden, you know what I’m talking about, right? Is that why you’re going back?”

Jaden laughs. “ _I forgot I left that there. Yeah, that’s why. Wish me luck?_ ”

Sho closes his eyes and pictures a star in his head. ‘First star I see tonight _…_ ’ he thinks. “I’m wishing you all the luck in the world. You can do this, aniki.”

Jaden inhales sharply, then laughs. “ _Sho…thanks. You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had._ ”

 

 

**T-40 Days**

Sho wakes up and rolls out of bed and is halfway through brushing his teeth when the events of last night come rushing back to him. He forgets about his teeth and runs to his phone. There’s nothing from Jaden, and Sho sends him a text asking Jaden to call him whenever he gets a chance. Stomach rolling from anxiety, Sho considers skipping class. He wants Jaden to be able to get in touch with him no matter what, and he can’t pick up the phone in class. Maybe he could in Daitokuji-sensei’s class, but Cronos and Bonaparte would never allow it. In the end, Sho decides he’ll at least go to math, because Cronos will have his head if he skips, and then he’ll be able to see Johan. He has a feeling Johan knows what’s going on.

During math, Johan whispers that Asuka is going to meet them in the practice room next period. Sho barely concentrates at all and covertly checks his phone whenever Cronos-sensei turns his back. When class lets out, Sho and Johan race to the practice room, getting there ahead of Asuka.

“Judai called me last night,” Sho tells Johan. “He said he needed to go back to the mainland.”

Johan nods. “I know, he came to see me yesterday.”

“Really?” Sho asks, just as Asuka comes in.

“Jaden’s absence has been noted,” Asuka says, “The school is buzzing.”

“Really?” Sho repeats. He’s been so worried, he didn’t notice.

“I know Jaden left,” Johan repeats, looking between Sho and Asuka. “He came to see me, he needed to talk to me and I helped him sort through what he was dealing with.”

“He told you about the contract?” Sho asks.

“What contract?” Asuka asks.

“With his company,” Sho and Johan says together.

Sho continues, “His company technically owns Kibouteki Refrain, since Jaden wrote it while under contract.”

Asuka swears. “But we can say we wrote it without him!”

“I told him that,” Johan says. “But he also told me that he…” even though the door and windows are closed and there’s no way anyone can hear them, Johan lowers his voice and the other two lean in close. “He said he wants out of his contract.”

Sho gasps. “So that’s why he left in a hurry!” Then he gets hit with a flash feeling of hurt. “How come he just told you?”

Johan blushes deep red. “Well, um…we’ve been dancing around it but…I think he and I are dating now.”

Sho’s jaw drops and Asuka gasps.

“What do you mean, you think?!?” Asuka asks.

Johan blushes deeper red. “We kissed last night.”

Asuka shrieks. “You little fox!!”

“That makes sense,” Sho mumbles. He grins sheepishly, a bit embarrassed that he jumped to being hurt so quickly, he knows Jaden wouldn’t hide anything from him on purpose. “Well, good for both of you. He really likes you.”

“We didn’t have time to talk about it,” Johan continues. “He went to see Samejima right after. He said you gave him that idea, Sho.”

“I’m glad he took my advice,” Sho says. He checks his phone yet again. “I’m really worried about him though. I wish he would call.”

“What’s to worry about?” Asuka asks. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“There’s plenty to worry about!” Sho sputters.

Johan suddenly starts chuckling. “Yeah, like working part time because he needs money!”

Asuka giggles and says, “Dancing in a nightclub!”

Johan stands up and points towards the ceiling. “Dating a woman who works there!”

Asuka lowers her voice and says ominously, “Hanging around the red-light district!”

“Jaden would never—!” Sho sputters, but Johan and Asuka continue.

“Enjoying adult entertainment!”

“Drug trafficking!”

“Human smuggling!”

“Selling illegal firearms!”

“Forging fake passports!”

“Dressing like an old man!”

“Riding around on a bike he stole!”

“Breaking windows all over town!”

“Flushing the huge dump he took!”

The two of them collapse on the floor in a fit of giggles, leaving Sho more than a little confused.

“What kind of drugs are you two on?” Sho asks.

Johan looks up. “You’ve never seen the original ‘ _Hana Kimi,_ ’ have you?”

Sho shakes his head.

Asuka stands up and goes to her laptop. “There’s nothing we can do until Jaden calls, so let’s watch it to distract ourselves.”

They end up skipping their afternoon classes to watch the entire drama, but when the marathon is over and they finally decide to get some rest, Jaden still hasn’t called.

 

 

**T-38 Days**

Sho reads Jaden’s text to Johan and Asuka. “‘Things are moving really fast now. I’m not sure what I started, but I think it’s a good thing. I should be back tomorrow, and I’ll be able to tell you all more.’” He looks up from his phone. “That’s all I got.”

Johan sighs and puts his head in his hands. “Well, aside from flying out to the mainland ourselves, I don’t see how there’s a whole lot we can do.” He looks up and glares at Asuka. “And that was not a hint!”

Asuka puts her phone down, no doubt she was halfway to dialing her brother’s number—that would be right up Fubuki’s alley. “Johan, what exactly did Samejima-san and Jaden talk about?”

“I wasn’t in the room,” Johan admits. “I waited outside.”

“So we know nothing,” Asuka says.

“We know Jaden wants out of his contract,” Sho says. “And if things are going well, that must be what he’s getting. Or at least rights to Kibouteki Refrain.”

Asuka suddenly smirks. “Could it be he’s so intent on coming back tomorrow because he knows it’s Johan’s birthday?”

Johan sputters and blushes, shoving Asuka off the sofa. “Shut up!”

Sho and Asuka both laugh and tease Johan a bit for that. Truthfully, Sho’s really happy for Jaden and Johan, and he can’t wait to tell Jaden that in person when he finally gets back. Then he’s hit with an idea. “You guys, we should tell Jaden that it’s okay.”

“What’s okay?” Johan asks.

“If he doesn’t get rights to Kibouteki Refrain. I know it’s what we’ve been working on, but we can always do something else. Jaden shouldn’t push himself too far, or stress too much. The truly important thing here is that Jaden gets to continue at school—Johan, didn’t you say that Jaden thought the company would force him back to performing? Kibouteki Refrain isn’t as important as Jaden’s future at this school.”

“Sho’s right,” Asuka says, looking stricken. “Okay, Sho, you send him the message, we’ll help you write it if you need it.”

It takes twenty minutes for them to come up with the message they want to send, with all three of them putting in their own words. They don’t expect a response, and it’s a shock when only a few minutes after they send the message, they suddenly get a call from Jaden.

Sho picks up and almost drops his phone in his haste. He puts it on speaker. “Jaden, are you there?!”

“ _I’m here,_ ” Jaden says. He sounds like he’s crying. “ _You three are amazing, do you know that? I’m so glad to have you as friends._ ”

“We meant every word,” Asuka cries. “You focus on what’s really important!”

“ _I am,_ ” Jaden promises, “ _I want you to know that. And I want you know that I’m so grateful for your support. I promise I’ll tell you more when I get back. I have so much to tell you all. I can’t talk for long, but I needed to tell you that in…well, not in person, but with my own mouth, you know?_ ”

“We know,” Johan says, and Jaden gasps.

“ _Johan! I, um…_ ”

“Johan told us,” Asuka interrupts. “Sho, take the phone off speaker for the love birds.”

Jaden and Johan both start sputtering, and Sho takes Asuka’s advice and hands Johan the phone.

Johan whispers a hello, and Asuka grabs Sho and makes a beeline for the clubhouse door.

“Best to give them some privacy,” She says, closing the door behind her and Sho.

Sho nods in agreement. “Do you think they’re going to, you know…go public when Jaden gets back?”

Asuka smiles. “I think they kissed once and haven’t seen each other since. I think they have a lot to talk about. That being said, we’ve gotta protect our boys, Sho. Johan’s my best friend, and I know Jaden is yours. Not everyone is going to be as accepting as we are.”

Sho growls, raising his fists to imaginary trouble makers. “Just let anyone try messing with my aniki. I’ll knock their lights out.”

“You and me both,” Asuka says.

Johan opens the door then, still blushing a bit. “Jaden had to hang up,” he says, “But he asked me to tell you that he’s okay.”

“And we’ll see that it stays that way!” Sho shouts, raising his fists to the air. “We are the Protect Jaden Squad!!!”

Johan jumps in surprise, but Asuka takes up the battle cry. “PROTECT JADEN SQUAD!”

Confused but enthusiastic, Johan too holds up his fists. “Protect Jaden Squad!”

 

 

**T-37 Days**

Sho wakes up when the door to his dorm closes. He sits up and switches on his lamp. Jaden stands in the doorway, looking sheepish. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”

Sho leaps from his bed and rushes at Jaden, hugging him tightly. “You’re back!” He barely manages to keep his voice down—it’s still dark, it must still be before sunrise. “Jaden I missed you so much!”

Jaden hugs Sho back. “I missed you too, buddy.”

“Are you alright?” Sho asks, looking up. Jaden looks tired, but his smile is back to the same relaxed smile he had when Sho first met him.

“I’m better than alright,” Jaden says. “You tired?”

Sho shakes his head, and Jaden takes out his phone. “Then let’s call the others, they’re going to want to hear this.”

 

The four of them meet in the clubhouse. It turns out that it was 2:46 AM when Jaden got back to the dorm—that’s when he calls Johan. Johan wakes up Asuka, and despite the late (or is it early?) hour, the main campus doors are unlocked.

“It is an island,” Sho mutters as he and Jaden sneak through the halls. “Not like anyone would be breaking in, and the offices are all locked…” he’s babbling, he’s full-on _wired_. Waking up at nearly 3 AM to have a super-secret meeting with your friends will do that to a person, he figures.

Jaden and Sho find the clubhouse door unlocked and Asuka and Johan waiting—they did have a shorter walk. They’re still in their pajamas, Asuka isn’t even wearing shoes, but like Sho, they look like they’ve never been more awake in their lives.

Johan stands, his cheeks flushed. “Jaden…”

Jaden crosses the room and hugs Johan, face buried in the crook of Johan’s neck. “Happy birthday,” Jaden mutters.

Sho looks down, partially to give them a bit of privacy, partially because he’s grinning like a fool. He doesn’t hear what Johan says back, but Jaden and Johan both laugh quietly.

Then, it’s time to start talking. Jaden sits on the sofa, Johan next to him, their hands clasped. Asuka pulls over chairs for herself and Sho, and they sit in a circle.

“Everything happened so fast,” Jaden says. “Once I got to the mainland it was only 5 AM, but my parents had a lawyer waiting to talk to me. I told her what I wanted, and she left to go talk to the company. I talked to my parents, I told them about the band, and the song, and how I wanted to stay in school. They said they would fight for me. Then I was in court, a real courtroom! The company representatives were there. They wanted a lot of money if I broke my contract, but if I broke the contract, I wouldn’t get any of my old songs, and…I still want that, I didn’t write them but I love those songs, I didn’t want to give them up. The negotiations only lasted a few minutes in the courtroom, then we went somewhere else and the lawyers talked, and I was terrified, and then we left, and my lawyer tried to talk to me but I was so worked up I couldn’t process anything. I ended up passing out.”

“What?!” Johan yelps.

Jaden squeezes Johan’s hand. “Yeah, it was…not good. But when I woke up in the hospital, the company CEO was next to me. Truthfully, I haven’t seen him in a while. Most of the decisions about my career don’t directly involve him. He said he wanted to talk to me, and my parents allowed it even though the lawyers were against it. I talked to my CEO and I told him I wanted rights to songs I wrote, and a break to go to school. The craziest thing is, he said yes.”

“Just like that?!” Sho asks.

Jaden nods. “Just like that! Of course, making it happen isn’t going to be that easy, the CEO may be at the top but even he has rules to follow, and he said something about Shareholders and how they wouldn’t be pleased, but the lawyers from both sides wrote up a new contract, and it has everything I want. I think the fact that I landed in the hospital for a second time in five months is actually going to help me get what I want, even though I wish is hadn’t happened. The contract isn’t final yet, my lawyer is going to keep me updated, but she says she’s not budging on a lot of things and with the CEO’s support behind me, there’s not a lot anyone can do to change things much.”

“That still sounds like a big risk,” Asuka says. “Should you really be here? It sounds like things aren’t yet final and could go wrong.”

“They could,” Jaden agrees, but he has a huge smile on his face. “But I’m tired of being afraid and thinking the worst. And I wanted to be here, I wanted to be with all of you. Most of all I wanted to tell you that Kibouteki Refrain is ours, and this summer we’re going on that trip to Denmark. And after summer break, I’ll be right back here at school with all of you. It’s happening, one way or another.” He reaches into his pocket and takes out a piece of paper. “And as a thank you to all of you for having my back through this, I have a surprise for you. I contacted a designer friend of mine, we’re going to have special outfits made for us to wear when we perform. We’re going to be a real performance group!”

He shows them a picture of the design. The outfit consists of a blue jacket edged in gold, held together with bright green buttons and gold sashes, and white shoulder pads trimmed in gold filigree. There’s a design for white pants, and a white skirt, both trimmed with gold. The paper also has designs for fingerless gloves, wrist-length or elbow length.

Jaden gestures to the designs. “Asuka, you can wear the pants if you want, and hell if someone else wants the skirt they can have it, I just liked the idea of having the option. And don’t worry about money, this friend of mine has owed me a favor for a while, and now I finally get to collect on that. If you have any suggestions tell me, this is something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“For a while?” Johan asks. “You…you drew these? You thought of this for us?”

Jaden nods. “I wanted to do something special for the band. Tomorrow’s Breeze ought to have a stand out outfit, don’t you think?”

“It’s amazing,” Sho says. “We’ll look like real performers!”

“We _will_ be real performers,” Asuka says. “They’re beautiful, Jaden! But are you sure we can’t give you money for this?”

“It’s a gift,” Jaden says firmly. “A present for my best friends.”

They all admire the designs for a while longer, then the conversation turns back to Jaden’s plans and what happened while he was gone. The four of them talk until 6 AM, when they finally sneak back to their dorms to get dressed.

When Jaden shows up back in class, everyone is happy to see him again, and each one remarks that he seems different. It’s as though being on the verge of freedom has given Jaden a visible glow, and Sho can’t wait to see what it’s like when the ties binding Jaden down have finally been broken.

 

 

**T-30 Days**

Sho leans around the camera to give Jaden a concerned look. “Are you sure about this?”

Jaden nods. “Couldn’t be more sure if I tried.”

Sho sighs. “Okay.” He counts down from three, and turns on the camera.

Jaden starts by bowing. “Hi everyone, this is Yuki Judai. I’m here to tell my fans that I’m aware of the rumors surrounding me, and as of this morning, it is true; my contract with GX Entertainment has been overhauled. Contrary to what I’ve seen as the leading theory, I am not retiring, or leaving the company. Instead, I have been given more autonomy, and the freedom to continue my high school education. As many of you know, it’s been a long time since I went to school. And now that I’m attending Kaiba academy, I’ve realized just how much I missed it, and just how much I’ve missed out on. I know a lot of you are going to miss me during this time, but I’m not going away forever, and I’m not really gone. I’ll still release music and go on variety shows, but now it’ll be when I have a break from my studies. I will miss performing, but this is something that is important for me. I want to tell you all that this isn’t goodbye, it’s see you later. I’m taking a break from music so I can grow up a bit, and to learn how to make the right choices for myself. When I come back, I’ll still be the Yuki Judai who loves music and performing, but I’ll be an adult. I hope you will wish me well and wait for me. Until then…”

Jaden winks and tosses his hand out in the ending pose of his latest dance routine. “Gotcha!”

Sho turns off the camera. Jaden uploads the video to his website that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was clear what the "T-(whatever number) Day" was! 
> 
> It's the countdown to the pep rally!
> 
> For the Hana Kimi scene I referenced, copy and paste this link = https://youtu.be/NZ0RZue_W38?t=21m28s
> 
> The band's outfits were inspired by this : http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=55456769


	3. What My Future Holds! Our Hopeful Refrain!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What My Future Holds! Our Hopeful Refrain!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the performance portion of this chapter I used both the English translation of Kibouteki Refrain's lyrics and the romanization. Because "Suki sugite" is a heck of a lot easier than "I love you too much."  
> Also if you haven't listened to that song yet, go check it out here - http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/AKB48---Kibouteki-Refrain--Live-Ver-/b1325492a150617da24b99776eb61a45

The last month before the school pep rally passes in a blur of school, homework, and rehearsal. Jaden and Asuka put the final touches on the lyrics of Kibouteki Refrain, Sho and Johan tweak the instrumental arrangement. Asuka takes down the group’s measurements and sends them to Jaden’s friend. When their outfits arrive, Johan inspects them meticulously and washes them by hand, as instructed by the designer herself. The foursome take to sleeping in the clubhouse on some nights. It’s cramped, but it saves time on the long walks back to the dorms, and it’s more time they can spend working or studying.

The response to Jaden’s break has been mostly positive. As Jaden himself said, the people who truly matter will understand. Jaden doesn’t care if he has to start from the bottom all over again when he graduates, because he finally believes that he’ll be ready for it. He’s taking charge of his own life now, just like Samejima-san said he hoped each student would in his start of the year speech. Jaden really took his words to heart, and he thinks that with his new friends beside him, he can withstand anything. Jaden gets a lot of fanmail from people all over the world who promise to wait for him, and Jaden treasures every single one of those letters, but what he treasures most are the words from Sho, Johan, and Asuka.

Two days before the pep rally, Jaden gets a text from Asuka to go to the clubhouse. Jaden is confused—he thought they weren’t meeting until later, but he changes course from the Red dorm to the clubhouse. When he gets there, he finds Johan waiting by himself.

“Where are the other two?” Jaden asks.

Johan holds up a neon pink sticky note and reads it. “‘Surprise! We’re giving you two the afternoon off so you can have a romantic date in the clubhouse. See you later.’”

Jaden blushes and smiles. “Wow. Well, that was nice of them.”

Johan smiles too, his cheeks also a bit pink. “We haven’t really had a chance to do this since you got back.”

Jaden sits on the sofa, and Johan sits next to him. The night Jaden got back, they texted each other during Daitokuji-sensei’s class and agreed that they would keep their relationship private until at least the end of summer vacation, when they would hopefully get some alone time to talk more about their feelings.

Jaden holds out his hand and Johan takes it. “How have you been?” Jaden asks.

Johan’s eyes light up. “Excited. We’ll be on stage for all of five minutes, but I look forward to those five minutes more than I ever thought I would. I can’t believe it’s so close to happening. I keep picturing it in my mind, and it’s different than last time. I feel like I’m about to fly away every time I think about it.” He pauses, then asks, “Is that how it feels for you when you go onstage?”

Jaden nods. “Each and every time. I get nervous too, but most of the time I’m just excited. And I’m so glad I get to share it with you. I mean, all three of you but also…you.”

For a minute they sit in silence, then Johan asks, “I didn’t even ask, did you tell your parents about…us?”

Jaden nods. “They want to meet you.”

“They’re happy for you?”

Jaden nods. “Did you tell yours?”

“Sort of,” Johan admits. “I told them I liked a boy in my class, and I wanted them to meet you. I said your name was Jaden. I don’t think they know the significance of the name Yuki Judai, but I don’t know for sure and...I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. What should I tell them?”

Jaden squeezes Johan’s hand. “Tell them whatever you’re comfortable with. If you want, we can tell them together when I come see you, or before that.”

Johan laughs nervously. “Well…they’ll be here for the pep rally. Would you like to meet them then?”

Jaden’s eyes widen. “Yes, absolutely! I mean, I’m still not sure if mine are coming but if they do, would you like to meet them?”

“Totally!” Johan says. “Did you ask them about summer vacation? I told my parents I wanted my bandmates to come for a visit, they said it was okay.”

“My parents are okay with it, I think they’re really excited for me. It’s been a long time since I went anywhere for a true vacation.”

“That’s good,” Johan says, looking excited. “I’ve been wanting to ask you…Do you want to come ahead of Sho and Asuka, so we can have a few days to ourselves?”

Jaden closes the short distance between them and kisses Johan briefly. “That’s the sweetest question I’ve ever been asked. And the answer is yes. I really can’t wait for you to meet my family.”

Johan nods, his smile a bit dazed. “Same here.”

“Oh, and Johan?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t mind if you call me Judai when we’re alone like this. Heck, I guess I don’t mind if you call me Judai in public too. I know you’re not thinking of me as anyone but myself.”

Johan lifts Judai’s hand and kisses his palm. “I’m so happy to hear you say that, Judai.”

Judai has to admit, he shivers when his birth name passes Johan’s lips.

 

 

The night before the pep rally, the foursome carry sleeping bags, popcorn, and a stack of DVDs into their clubhouse. After Jaden admitted that he’s never had a proper sleepover and he was looking forward to it over summer break, his best friends decided not to wait and give Jaden his first sleepover on the night they all knew nobody would sleep well. Or at least, the night Sho wouldn’t sleep well.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this!” Sho cries, whacking Jaden over the head with his pillow.

Jaden winces and shoots Sho a wounded look. “That’s the fifth time in half an hour. Are you okay?”

“No!” Sho screeches. “I’m on the verge of a panic attack!”

“This is why I didn’t bring soda,” Asuka mutters as she drinks from her water bottle.

Johan scoots behind Sho and starts to rub his shoulders. “Jeez, you’re tense. It’ll be over before you know it, at this point we could all probably play our instruments in our sleep. What’s got you so nervous?”

“The very real possibility that I could mess up!” Sho says. “Even if I practice and practice, what if I blank out?! I could mess it all up!”

“No you couldn’t,” Jaden says. “That’s why we’re all important. We all play a role, and it takes more than one person to totally screw up a performance.”

“It’s just the school,” Johan adds.

“And Jaden’s fans,” Sho says, “C’mon guys, we all know this is going to end up on YouTube.”

Jaden grins sheepishly. “I could ask them not to.”

Sho waves his hand. “Aw forget it, I know it’s not something you can control.”

“You’ll be fine,” Asuka says, putting her arm around Sho’s shoulder, and Sho’s heart skips a beat. “I’m the main singer, if you make a mistake I’ll cover it up with an adlib, or something.”

“And they say the audience never hears a mistake,” Johan adds.

“Hey, I got it!” Jaden cries, “We’ll make a pact, if we hear someone mess up super bad, we’ll all mess up super bad—like I’ll drop my guitar, Sho will slam his face into the keyboard, Johan will drop his drumsticks, and Asuka will, I don’t know, start croaking like a frog, and then we’ll all scream ‘APRIL FOOLS!’”

Sho snorts. “That would work if it was April fool’s day.”

“That’s like the best part of the plan!” Jaden says, “C’mon, let’s agree to it, I bet we won’t even need to make it happen.”

Johan raises his hand. “I’m in.”

“Alright,” Asuka agrees, rolling her eyes.

Sho smiles, “Yeah, sounds good.”

“But we won’t mess up,” Jaden adds, “Because we’ve practiced for months and we have our lucky stage outfits.”

“Oh, they’re lucky?” Johan asks.

“Well, I don’t know,” Jaden laughs, “But we look so good, they might as well be!”

Asuka claps her hands. “Enough of this chatter, let’s get started on these movies, shall we?”

They pop a movie into Asuka’s computer, open the popcorn, and settle down to watch. Jaden is the first to fall asleep, he didn’t even last an hour. He leans his head on Johan’s shoulder, and Johan put his arm around Judai’s waist and keeps him steady as he dozes. By the time the second movie starts, Johan is nodding off, and he wakes Judai so they can go lay down. They put their sleeping bags together and fall asleep holding hands. Asuka takes a picture.

“They’re so cute I could puke,” She says.

“Please don’t,” Sho laughs.

Asuka and Sho share a pair of headphones and continue to watch the movie. When it finishes, Asuka turns to Sho. “You tired?”

Sho shakes his head. “Are you?”

“I’m too excited to be tired,” Asuka says. “But I feel like we should try to sleep.”

So they power down the computer and get in their own sleeping bags. There’s a moment of silence, then Asuka whispers, “You awake?”

“Yeah,” Sho says.

Asuka moves her sleeping bag next to Sho’s and holds out her hand. Sho takes it, unsure of what she wants, and Asuka links their fingers together and rests their clasped hands between their sleeping bags.

“Johan and Jaden shouldn’t get to have all the fun,” She mutters.

Sho prays that his palm doesn’t sweat. “Hey, Asuka?”

“Yeah?”

“If I puke onstage tomorrow, promise you’ll kill me.”

Asuka snorts. “Oh please, you won’t puke. You’ll be fine, I have faith in you.”

Sho’s heart flutters and he thinks he couldn’t possibly go to sleep, but he soon begins to feel tired. When he does fall asleep, he dreams that the performance is over, but rather than the dread of having performed badly, all Sho feels is the exhilaration of a performance that rocked.

 

 

The pep rally takes place in the outdoor sports stadium behind the school. It’s big enough to accommodate all the students, faculty, and teachers, and a stage has been set up for the performers. ‘Tomorrow’s Breeze’ is set to go on after the drama club, and they wait in a small tent marked with their group name. The boys change into their outfits in the tent, and Asuka changes in the girl’s locker room in the gym. When all four of them assemble back in the tent, they set up a timer on Johan’s camera and take a picture. Their costumes make them look unified and professional, but their nervous-excited smiles make them look like what they really are—a youthful group of kids.

Sho’s stomach is in knots, but it’s actually not as bad as he thought it was going to be. He hasn’t seen his parents, they arrived as he and the others were doing a sound-check and Sho’s been confined to the tent since then, but Sho got a text from them that says they’re in the audience, and the biggest shock of all is that his big brother is there too.

“Did Fubuki come?” Sho asks Asuka.

She nods, not looking up from the piece of paper with Kibouteki Refrain’s lyrics written on it. “Yeah, he’s here.”

With a shock, Sho realizes that the papers in Asuka’s hands are shaking—and that means that her hands are shaking.

“You okay?” Sho asks.

Asuka looks up and smiles, but her mouth is tight. “Yeah, just jittery.”

Johan is looking pale too. In fact, the only one not looking nervous is Jaden. He’s happily eating some ramen and playing a game on his phone.

“We’ve done all we can,” Jaden says. “Now we just have to do what we came here to do.”

There’s a cheer from the crowd outside and they all jump. They hear Samejima announce that the pep rally will begin in five minutes. A member of the AV squad pokes her head into the tent.

“You guys are on in twenty,” she says, then backs out.

Sho leaps to his feet and begins pacing. “Dear god I hope I don’t sweat through my outfit,” he moans. “That’s all I need, to get up in front of all those people with sweat stains under my arms.”

Almost frantically, Asuka begins singing in a low tone. “Suki sugite, Suki sugite…”

Johan picks up his drumsticks and begins to tap them against his thighs, muttering an eight-count under his breath. For a while, each of them is lost in their own thoughts. Then Sho looks over at Jaden and realizes that he’s dropped his cup of ramen on the ground, and he’s staring at his phone with a look of utter shock on his face.

“Jaden?!” Sho cries, going over to his friend. “What’s up?”

Jaden gets to his feet and turns to face the other three. His phone is clutched in his hand, and he’s shaking.

“G-guys,” He stammers, “My lawyer just…she texted me…my contract…”

“What about it?” Johan gasps, throwing his drumsticks aside.

Judai drops his phone and begins to cry. “It’s rewritten,” he shouts, “I’m free, it’s…I can come back to school, I can graduate! Kibouteki Refrain, I can claim it!”

Jaden staggers to the side and Sho steadies him, and in a second Asuka and Johan are there too, hands on Jaden’s shoulders and arms, asking if he’s okay.

Jaden looks up, tears flowing freely, but he has the biggest smile on his face. “It’s real, it’s happening, you guys!!” He starts to laugh and cry at the same time, and before he knows it, Sho starts to cry too. Before long all four of them are crying, locked in a group hug so tight each one of them can feel Jaden’s body shake as he alternates between sobbing and laughing. Jaden’s knees buckle and they all fall to the ground, but it seems to break the hold that their tears have on them. The foursome wipe their faces, sobs turning to ecstatic giggles.

“Am I dreaming?” Jaden asks suddenly. Johan pinches Jaden’s arm and Jaden shouts, then screams with joy. It’s a scream they all echo before dissolving into giggles again.

The tent flap opens again and the same AV member pokes her head in, looking confused. “You guys are on in five. Are you all okay?”

Sitting on the ground, tear-tracks still staining their cheeks, the four of them give her smiles and thumbs up. “Couldn’t be better,” Asuka chirps.

The girl backs out of the tent, and Jaden suddenly leans over and kisses Johan full on the mouth. “I can’t believe this is happening,” Jaden says when he leans back.

“Same,” Johan says, his expression one of pure joy.

Sho suddenly realizes what was said to them. “GUYS! FIVE MINUTES!”

“SHIT!” Asuka screams, leaping to her feet. “We have to get to the stage!!”

Laughing and screaming, the four of them race out of the tent.

“KIBOUTEKI REFRAIN!” Jaden screams.

“KIBOUTEKI REFRAIN!” Asuka, Johan, and Sho echo.

Backstage, Jaden, Johan, and Sho get outfitted with microphones and earpieces. Asuka will have a handheld microphone, so she just gets an earpiece. The giddiness has not dissipated, and each time one of them catches another’s eye, they dissolve into giggles. Sho is positive they’re freaking out anyone nearby, but he could care less.

The school doesn’t have a curtain over the stage, so the second Tomorrow’s Breeze takes the stage, there are deafening screams. Sho hears them as if they’re coming from a distance. He makes his way to the computer that’s all set up for him and looks over at his friends. Jaden picks up his bass and slings the strap over one shoulder, Johan seats himself behind his drums and twirls the sticks in his fingers, and Asuka stands at her mic.

“GOOD MORNING KAIBA ACADEMY!” Asuka screams.

The crowd screams back at her. Sho realizes that each member of the audience is holding a glowstick, and even though it’s daylight and he can’t see them clearly, it still highlights just how many people are out there. Sho can’t see his family, but he knows they’re watching and he smiles.

“Are you ready to sing with us?” Asuka asks. “The screen behind us will show when to repeat after me, can you do that?”

The crowd screams again, and Asuka raises her fist. “Then here we go! And a one, and a two, and a ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!”

Sho’s fingers find his keyboard. Music blares from the speakers, and to Sho’s ears it sounds perfect, like everything they practiced for. After a moment, Asuka’s voice croons out to the crowd.

“ _When I turned the corner_  
_I somehow knew you'd be there_  
_From the opposite side of a sunbeam_  
_I had the feeling_  
_I was coming close to you_

 _Because it's true love_  
_Wondrous things happen_  
_The coincidences keep piling up_  
_Like hints from destiny…_ ”

The chorus comes in. Asuka raises her fist again and cries, “ _Suki sugite!_ ”

And Johan, Jaden, and Sho echo, “ _Suki sugite!_ ”

“ _Suki sugite!_ ” Asuka cries.

This time, Sho can hear the crowd echo with them, “ _SUKI SUGITE!_ ”

“ _I can’t see,_ ” Asuka sings, and four hundred people cry back, “ _I can’t see!_ ”

“ _Anyone else!_ ”

“ _ANYONE ELSE!_ ”

Asuka sings alone again, “ _But you! Since the day I found out_  
_What my future holds_  
_I've been searching…_ ”

Sho glances out towards the crowd. He still can’t make out individual faces, but he can feel their energy, and he can hear the joy in their voices each time they echo after Asuka. Sho mouths along with the lyrics, and when the time comes for him to sing back up with Johan and Jaden, he sings with everything he has in him. ‘This is addictive,’ Sho thinks to himself, ‘I can totally see why Jaden didn’t want to give this up.’ And he realizes that he’s not scared anymore. Now all he feels is excited, and all he wants is for the moment to never end.

But of course, the moment does end. Though it feels like time has frozen those few moments into a perfect eternity, the final chorus comes, and all four of them sing together.

“ _Every time I take a breath,_  
_I fall in love with you again,_  
_An unending refrain!_  
_I fall in love with you,_  
_A hopeful refrain!_ ”

Then comes the final count of the music, and it’s over.

The screams of the crowd reach a new volume. Asuka looks over her shoulder, her smile blinding, and holds out her hand.

Jaden, Johan, and Sho leave their instruments and come to stand by Asuka’s side. They link their hands together, raise them in the air, and then they take a bow. Even after Asuka, Johan, and Sho rise, Jaden keeps his back bent. Sho realizes that he’s crying again. Gently, Sho presses his hand against Jaden’s chest until he’s standing. Somehow the four of them end up locked in another group hug, and then they bow again, though this time they’re all crying.

Eventually they make their way offstage while the crowd chants “ _Suki sugite, Suki sugite,_ ” over and over. I love you too much, I love you too much…it hits Sho how true those words ring for Jaden—for Judai. Everything he does, he gives 110%. When he loves someone—as a friend, as a crush—he does so with all his heart. He does the same for each performance he gives. He loves it with all his heart, so to stand onstage again, after having been overworked and taken advantage of, to be in front of people and hear them singing along to a song that he wrote, that he put his heart and soul into writing…Sho can’t imagine how happy he must be.

Sho wants to run back to the stage, grab the mic and shout to the world that it was all Judai, Judai wrote it, he did most of the music, he did it all because it’s what he loves, but Sho holds himself back. When that moment comes, he wants it to come from Judai.

Back in the tent, the four of them collapse into the supremely uncomfortable plastic chairs set out for them. Sho’s hands are shaking, adrenaline coursing through his veins and making him want to run in circles. At the same time, he never wants to stand on his own two feet again.

That changes when the tent opening flies open and Fubuki strolls in. “That performance was nearly as fabulous as me.”

Asuka screeches and leaps to her feet, and Johan isn’t far behind her. The two of them crash into Fubuki, and he staggers back, laughing. “I missed you too, ya little nerds,” he says, ruffling their hair.

The tent becomes crowded as four sets of parents parade in. Sho makes a beeline for his mother. He hugs her tight, babbling that he couldn’t see her, but did she like it, did she think the song was good? His mom chuckles and says that he was perfect, they all were. Sho’s father agrees, and Sho meets his brother’s eyes. Ryo gives him a smile and a thumbs up.

“Great job, little bro.”

Sho’s heart feels like it’s grown ten times its size. Though Sho’s eyes never leave his family, he can hear Judai’s voice rising with excitement as he introduces Johan to his parents, and he can hear Fubuki trying to convince Asuka that she needs to go into show biz full time, and Sho can even hear Johan’s embarrassed laugh when Judai’s mom tells him that he and Judai looks cute together. Sho feels like his whole world has shrunk to the size of this crappy little white tent, and though he knows eventually he’s going to have to leave and go pack his bags, and head home for summer break, he knows that in a few weeks he’ll be off to Denmark to spend a fun vacation with his best friends, and Kaiba academy will be waiting for him when he gets back, along with a lot of new expectations.

Still, Sho thinks he and his friends are ready to meet those expectations.

 

 

 

**One month later**

Judai wakes up when Johan pokes his shoulder. “C’mon, it’s after nine already and we’ve gotta hit the slopes before it gets too crowded!”

Judai sits up and rubs his eyes. Johan grins at him, excitement plastered all over his face. “Let’s go, let’s go! It snowed last night and if we hurry we can go stick our faces in it before the trees start shedding all over it.”

Judai snorts and tosses back the covers. “Alright, I’m up!”

He gets dressed and eats, and takes a moment to go on YouTube. Fubuki had been the first person to upload a recording of Tomorrow’s Breeze singing ‘Kibouteki Refrain,’ and the response has been explosive. Already Judai’s lawyer is working on getting the license on the song changed to include Judai’s name, since the group filed for it before Judai was out of his contract. His new contract says that he can have rights to anything he created while under his previous contract, and Judai intends to take full advantage of that change. Once the license has changed, the group has decided that they’re going to begin plans to record the song in a studio and release it for download. Judai’s lawyer is going to help them with that, and so is Fubuki, to no one’s surprise. Sure, there are some haters, but Judai knows how to ignore them and Asuka, Johan, and Sho flat out don’t give a crap, since everyone in their school thinks the performance was the best thing to ever happen to Kaiba Academy.

“We’ve passed the half million mark on views,” Judai announces.

Johan gasps and chokes. Coughing, he sputters, “It’s only been a month!”

Judai laughs. “That’s just on Fubuki’s channel. Including all the other videos that have been posted, we’ve probably been watched a million times.”

Johan claps his hands over his ears. “Shut the hell your mouth!”

Judai laughs. Johan refuses to think of himself as famous, but that’s just what he is.

Judai and Johan grab their snowboards and head out, taking Johan’s snowmobile to the trails about a half mile away from the cabin they’ve rented. Asuka and Sho will be arriving tomorrow and they’ll need a second snowmobile, and Judai sincerely hopes Asuka can drive one, because while Johan taught him how to drive, Judai really likes riding with Johan.

They reach the mountain and take the chairlift higher. At the top of the trails, they wander a bit before coming to one they really like. They check each other’s helmets, put on their goggles, and then Johan goes off first, Judai counting to ten before he follows.

Judai has gotten better fast, but Johan still lays out a path for him to follow. And sometimes, Judai still wipes out. Judai strays from the path and attempts a jump. He makes it, he even lands it, but soon after his board hits the ground he overbalances and tumbles, rolling a few yards before stopping.

“You okay?” Johan calls.

Judai raises his arms. “I’m fine!” He yells back.

The sounds of Johan’s footsteps reach Judai’s ear, and next thing he knows Johan is on his knees next to Judai. “What did I tell you about the jumps on this trail?”

“They’re awesome!” Judai says, lifting his goggles and grinning at Johan.

Johan lifts his own goggles so Judai can see him rolling his eyes. “You’re lucky nobody is coming.”

Judai unstraps his feet from his board and walks off the path. “Let’s go find a tree!” He calls over his shoulder.

“Why?” Johan yells back, but Judai doesn’t answer. After a few minutes of walking, Judai finds a massive evergreen, its branches only a few feet from the ground, weighed down with the snow from last night. Judai ducks under them and sits with his back to the trunk, and soon Johan joins him.

“What are we doing?” Johan asks.

Judai takes his phone from the zipped up pocket of his parka. “Taking a picture,” he says. “Sit next to me.”

Johan plops down next to Judai and rests his chin on Judai’s shoulder. “How many pictures have you taken of us?”

“Not enough,” Judai answers. He holds his free hand up in a peace sign. “Smile!”

Johan grins, copying Judai’s peace sign. Judai snaps the picture. Then he turns his head and presses his lips to Johan’s cheek, and presses his finger to the phone screen to take another picture. Judai keeps his finger on the screen even when Johan turns his head to meet Judai’s lips and kiss him. Judai loses track of time as the kiss again and again, and when they finally do stop to catch their breath, Judai starts flipping through the pictures.

“Those are terrible,” Johan teases as he looks at the screen, too. He drapes his arm over Judai’s shoulders and periodically kisses Judai’s cheek.

Most of the pictures are blurry, but a few stand out. Judai pauses on one. His and Johan’s lips are only just brushing, and both of them are smiling. Their eyes are closed, and Johan’s hand is halfway to Judai’s cheek.

“I like this one,” Judai says, bringing the screen closer to Johan’s face.

Johan’s eyes widen and he grins. “Wow. That’s really something.”

Judai’s fingers hover over the screen. “We look so happy.”

Johan brushes his fingers over the nape of Judai’s neck. “We do.”

Judai picks his words carefully. “I think if we ever go public with our relationship…this is the kind of thing I would want to put on Instagram.”

Johan is quiet for a moment. “Maybe you should do that now.”

Judai stares at Johan. “Do you mean it?”

Johan grins, blushing a bit. “I do. I think…I think this might be a good time, you know? We’re far away from everyone, when we do go back to civilization it’ll just be to school. I think I can handle that. What do you think?”

Judai hesitates. “Let’s tell Sho and Asuka first.”

Johan agrees, and Judai opens the group chat between the four of them and uploads the picture. He writes that he and Johan are thinking of going public. He’s not expecting a response so soon, but before he can finish putting his phone away, his text tone chimes at him. He opens the group chat and almost chokes. Sho has sent a picture of himself and Asuka, their heads close together, and their clasped hands tucked under Asuka’s chin. The caption reads, ‘I asked Asuka out soon after you left. I wanted to tell you in person, but since you started it, I figure I should tell you that things are going well and we might go public too.’

Asuka soon joins in, sending, ‘Looks like we’ve all officially coupled off. This should be quite the romantic vacation!’

Johan reads the message over Judai’s shoulder and cries, “So does this mean we can be all couple-y in front of them and not feel guilty?!”

Judai grins at Johan. “You mean we weren’t planning on that anyway?”

Johan pauses. “Yeah, I guess we were.” He gets to his feet and brushes snow from his pants. “Well, boyfriend of mine, now that we know our friends are dating, shall we go to town and get them a present to congratulate them?”

“You mean like those couple sweater we got ourselves?” Judai asks.

“Exactly,” Johan says, “What do you think?” He holds out his hand and Judai takes it.

“I think that sounds like a great plan,” Judai says as Johan helps him up.

“Then let’s go!” Johan cries.

The two of them finish the trail, and as they do they sing at the top of their lungs,

“ _Every time I take a breath, I fall in love with you again, an unending refrain! I fall in love with you, a hopeful refrain!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! Thank you so much for reading <3


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